Everyday, patients hospitalized because of age, infirmities, or accidents, receive unsatisfactory care. Dissatisfaction can arise when a request for medication is responded to in an untimely manner. In some instances, hours can pass without response to a patient's requests. Often, the untimely response results from the overburdening of caregivers that occurs due to the numerous tasks associated with the daily care of hospitalized individuals, including dispensing and administrating medications.
Caregivers use a centralized inventory system for dispensing and administering medications. In this system, medications are stored in a centralized area. Both required and optional medications are dispensed and administered to each patient by retrieving medications from a centralized inventory onto a movable cart. In some instances, a caregiver follows a prescribed schedule for administering required medication to a patient and provides optional medication upon request by the patient. Optional medication often includes pro re nata (PRN) medication. PRN medication refers to dosages of prescribed medication that are not scheduled, and administration is left to the caregiver or the patient's prerogative. PRN is often added to the prescribed directions for medication used to treat symptoms (e.g., pain/fever, constipation, insomnia, anxiety, nausea/vomiting). Most often PRN medications are analgesics, such as paracetamol (Tylenol) or hydrocodone (Vicodin), laxatives, such as coloxyl, sleeping aids (sedatives), such as zolpidem (Ambien) or lorazepam (Ativan), and antiemetics, such as ondansetron or dimenhydrinate (Gravol). These medications can include over-the-counter drugs that would be readily available to the patient but for the patient's admittance into the hospital or care facility.
Upon request by the patient to receive the optional medication, the caregiver retrieves the medication from the centralized inventory and returns to the patient to administer the optional medication. The patient often requests the optional medication during administration of the required medication, at which time, caregivers proceed to each patient's room dispensing and administering the required medications. When optional medication, such as PRN medication, is requested, the caregiver exits the patient's room and retrieves the optional medication from the centralized inventory and returns to the patient's room to administer the medication. After administration of the optional medication, the caregiver proceeds to the next patient to administer the required medication, and this patient may also request optional medication. Accordingly, the caregiver again returns to the centralized inventory to retrieve the requested optional medication and returns to the patient for administration.